2010 Volvo XC60 Concept

Volvo set to enter the expanding, premium-small-ute segment in 2009.

These images of the XC60 concept, released ahead of its official debut at the Detroit auto show in early January 2007, are a clear indication of what the production XC60 will look like when it makes its way to market in early 2009.

The XC60 is based on the Land Rover LR2 platform, which also underpins the new S80, while the styling is a bold take on the current XC90's. The shape is definitely sleeker, looking almost stretched, with strong character lines running the length of the profile. Volvo says this makes the XC60 look like an "elegant, sporty coupe" but we see more of a wagon—think Cadillac SRX—but, to us, that's not a bad thing.

Inside is a more futuristic version of Volvo's floating center stack that we've already enjoyed in the S40 sedan and V50 wagon. To that, Volvo has added "visually floating" front and rear seats. Who knows, all this obsession with floating could lead to a Volvo blimp or hovercraft concept one day.

The XC60 concept also has Volvo's new City Safety low-speed, collision-avoidance system, which is active at speeds below 20 mph and will automatically apply the brakes if the driver happens to be paying too much attention to his Blackberry.

Powering this concept is a version of the new, 3.2-liter inline-six from the S80 and base XC90 that's optimized to run on E85 ethanol. This engine makes 265-hp, 30 hp more than the gas version, but watch out for fuel economy, which will likely be about 20-percent worse.

The "Small Premium Utility" segment—things like the Acura RDX, BMW X3, and Land Rover LR2—is the fastest-growing, according to Volvo, with sales expected to jump some 75 percent between 2007 and 2009 to almost 450,000 units. No wonder Volvo wants to fill the gap in its lineup.